credits: Joakim Eskildsen

I´m deeply impressed by this project of Joakim Eskildsen and Cia Rinne:’ The Roma Journeys’ .

The biggest ethnic minority in Europe are Romani, Sinti, Cale and some more ethnic groups, often described as gypsies. Each group has its own language, culture and problems living scattered throughout the European continent. Romani people look back on a long history of persecution and slavery, even nowadays they are eyed suspiciously and confronted with discrimination – just think about the current Hungarian Jobbic party raging against the Romani minority.
Between 2000 and 2006 photographer Joakim Eskildsen and writer Cia Rinne undertook travels in seven different countries: Hungary, Romania, India, Finland, Russia, France and Greece. They spend time with the Roma to get an insight in their living conditions, to learn about them and spread their culture. The photographic impressions can be found in the book “The Roma Journeys“, which comes with a CD full of music and language recordings.